# Radioactive/contaminated metals since the A-Bomb. Please help me find the straight dope. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 15, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567 "2010-05-15T19:06:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567/1 "2010-05-15T19:06:57Z")
I remember reading (I think on this board) that all (most?) iron and/or some other metals currently produced are slightly (more) radioactive because of the A-bomb tests conducted since the 40s and that metal from ship wrecks that occurred before the 40s is retrieved and used for building less contaminated structures for certain scientific experiments. I was discussing this yesterday with a friend and I couldn’t recall the specifics and I also got slightly suspicious - why would currently mined metals be significantly contaminated while shipwrecks wouldn’t? Is that just due to the protection provided by water? Is water that much more efficient than rock in that regard? I can’t find the thread I first read it (if it exists at all), so any info is appreciated, even if it’s just a link. Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567/2 "2010-05-15T19:13:20Z")
Yes, this is correct. Metals are harvested from wrecks in Scapa Flow, for example. A SDMB thread that is relevant: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-483694.html](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-483694.html) Edit: Just looking at your question a bit more closely: Steel isn’t an element. You could, presumably, use steel that had been buried sufficiently deeply underground pre-45 as well. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567/3 "2010-05-15T19:23:41Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > Yes, this is correct. Metals are harvested from wrecks in Scapa Flow, for example. > > A SDMB thread that is relevant: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-483694.html](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-483694.html) > > Edit: Just looking at your question a bit more closely: Steel isn’t an element. You could, presumably, use steel that had been buried sufficiently deeply underground pre-45 as well. Thanks! I also see from that thread that it’s not merely the effects of the bomb tests, but also the shielding from cosmic rays over long periods that makes the element (lead in this case) so non-radioactive. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567/4 "2010-05-16T17:01:58Z")
The cosmic rays are far more significant than human activity, and recently-mined metal will be contaminated from radioactive material in the ground. It’s only relevant for a few extremely sensitive experiments, though (mostly neutrino detectors). ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567/5 "2010-05-16T21:10:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The cosmic rays are far more significant than human activity, and recently-mined metal will be contaminated from radioactive material in the ground. It’s only relevant for a few extremely sensitive experiments, though (mostly neutrino detectors). OK. I’m assuming that by “radioactive material in the ground” you mean naturally occurring material, right? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567/6 "2010-05-16T22:36:06Z")
> [@](#): > > OK. I’m assuming that by “radioactive material in the ground” you mean naturally occurring material, right? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567/7 "2010-05-17T02:34:54Z")
[hijack] > [@Angry Lurker](#): > > …A SDMB thread that is relevant… I always thought that the usage was “an” with the letters quickly spelled out, thus shortening the time to say it. A case for Cecil, or maybe a poll? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-contaminated-metals-since-the-a-bomb-please-help-me-find-the-straight-dope/539567/8 "2010-05-17T02:46:23Z")
“A” vs. “an” is based on the pronunciation, not the spelling. So it’s “an ess dee em bee thread”, but (for instance) “a tee vee show”.